
They've been present in one form or another since the very beginning (the Red/Blue/Yellow generation). These hidden points push your monsters' stats to higher levels, and different Pokémon provide different types of EVs that boost different stats. Pokémon gain EVs when they defeat other Pokémon in battle, or, beginning in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, when you catch a Pokémon they were fighting. There's another factor that can differentiate Pokémon who otherwise seem identical: Effort Values (also known as EVs). How Pros Play: Fight and defeat the same type of wild Pokémon over and over again to raise your Pokémon's EVs. How Most People Play: Once you've caught a particular Pokémon in the wild, you eagerly move on and try to encounter new creatures.

This is why pros spend hours on hours doing nothing but breeding, as tedious as it can be. These hard-coded base stats are the reason why two otherwise identical Pokémon can have drastically different strengths, and although it can be difficult to determine exactly what each monster's IVs are, in-the-know players will always keep them in mind.

More obtuse are a Pokémon's Individual Values, referred to by fans as IVs. And that's not even the only unalterable variable hardcore players consider when they obtain a new Pokémon. You want it to benefit your new Pokémon's strengths. But a hardcore player will probably reset their game a few dozen times before they're done, just to get a starter with the right nature, a variable that can never be altered but drastically affects a Pokémon's performance in battle.Įach monster's nature raises a certain stat and lowers another. When most Pokémon players receive their first Pokémon at the beginning of each new game, they're usually just happy to get on with it and start catching whatever that generation's equivalent of Pidgey, Rattata, and Caterpie are. How Pros Play: Restart and restart again, until you get a Pokémon with the right nature. How Most People Play: Choosing from the three starting Pokémon is tough, but once you make up your mind you make your selection and immediately head off on your adventure. The below tips are the things they keep in mind as they embark on their Pokémon journeys. But if you've ever felt like you might be missing something-if you've wondered why you can't win a single match online, or why two seemingly identical Pokémon can have totally different stats-it's because you're not playing like the pros. The developers do their best to keep these things hidden and disguised. From the moment hardcore Pokémon players tell the professor their names at the beginning of a modern Pokémon game, they're thinking and playing differently from casual players.ĭeveloper Game Freak doesn't want the average player to know about all the secret and semi-hidden features Pokémon masters take for granted.
Pokemon crystal dust team builder series#
The "pro" Pokémon player is someone who knows every in and out of the game, who goes way beyond the surface knowledge most players have and seriously commits to the breeding and training of Pokémon so they're ready for battles with other dedicated players.The series has come a long way since Pokémon Red and Blue, and it's not just about "catching 'em all" and defeating the Elite Four anymore. Much of what makes Pokémon appealing to its most dedicated players isn't readily apparent to its more casual fans.
